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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 31! We’re really at the final day huh? Welp, let’s get right into it! (Notes at the end).

And They Stayed, Like It Was Simple.

—————-

-Rock paper scissors shoot!

-Aww! I lost? Noooooo!

-Hah! Suck it, Cheapskate!

-Darn…

-Huh? I won..?

-Tsk.

-Sorry, kid. Better luck next time.

-Now that it’s come to this. I’ll play against Crybaby and then the winner will go up against the Crazy Kid.

-What? No fair! I wanna go up against you first, Old Man!

-Hyung, do I have to? What if I win? I’d have to go against her..

-As if!

-…Are you actually afraid of winning against Super Rock?

-Fine. I’ll go against the Crazy kid and then whoever wins will go against the Crybaby.

-What?! B-But then I’d have to go against the winner.. Can’t I just forfeit?

-But that’s so boring!

-Rules are rules. You can’t back out now Crybaby.

-Wait, what about Glutton?

-Hm?

-Uhh

-Glutton?

-What is she doing?

-Uh, hey Glutton? Whatcha doing there?

-She’s not listening….

-Strange.

-Do something, Super Rock!

-What do you want me to do?

-I don’t know? Shout for her?

-Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?

-Argh! Come on! Why isn’t she answering us?! Is she ignoring us?!

-Shhh!

-Huh?

-Glutton! You’re alive!

-Well, actually none of us are….

-Shut it, Crybaby!

-What were you doing?

-Quiet guys! Cale’s sleeping!

-Uh yeah? We know. That’s why we’re playing Rock Paper Scissors.

-Can’t you tell? I think he’s having a nightmare..

-Huh?

-Now that you mention it, I can definitely tell that something’s wrong..

-His heart is beating really fast! I think Noona is right!

-But how did the Glutton know? And before us?

-Glutton?

-I think…maybe it’s because I’m closer to his heart?

-But the Crybaby is literally part of his heart.

-Um, maybe because I’ve been here longer? Or because I technically absorbed the Crybaby’s powers into mine?

-Hmmm. It’s not much, but it’s a good guess.

-Focus guys!

-Right. Cale.

-What do we do?

-Try to wake him up?

-You think he would sleep through all this shouting if we could?

-Good point.

-Then?

-Hmmm. Glutton, you felt it first. Why don’t you try to do something?

-Like what?

-Maybe reach out to him?

-Like we just said wouldn’t work?

-Not like that! Maybe, through her connection with him? As she said before, she has been with him for longer. Maybe she can reach him.

-Well…

-It’s worth a shot?

-I believe in her!

-I guess?

-O-ok. Then I’ll give it a go!

-Now be quiet, everyone.

-Why?

-Come on! Just do it!

-Ughhhh, fiiine.

————

The first thing she noticed was the smell of ash and blood. Which immediately set off alarm bells in her head because, as previously stated, she’s dead. She should not be able to smell anything.

The next thing she noticed was the screams. The voices of humans and monsters mingling together in a dizzying cacophony of noise all around her. What was going on? She felt an acute sense of wrongness with the situation, like she shouldn’t be where she was now. But where was she, anyway?

Prying open her eyes, she was immediately assaulted with the view of what she could only describe as pure despair. Monsters ran through the city, ravaging whatever they laid eyes on, people ran away in terror, many not even making it more than a step before being brutally killed by the horrifying creatures.

Glutton felt fear. She felt it so strong that she almost forgot herself. When was the last time she felt so afraid for her life? But she couldn’t dwell on it, she had a job to do after all. Find where she was, find Cale, wake him up. Simple.

Not simple. At all.

As soon as she took a step, she abruptly realized that yeah, she actually had a body. Which, one would find obvious as she was feeling and seeing things like any normal person would, but here’s the thing; Glutton was not a normal person. She has been dead for over ten thousand years. She hasn’t had a body for ten thousand years. If she hadn’t already known that she was in a dream, this alone would have tipped her off. It was jarring, to say the least.

Unfortunately, she only had a few minutes, or what seemed like so, to get used to her new mobility before the ear-piercing screech of a monster broke her out of her stupor. Looking toward the noise, her entire body froze. She recognized that monster. It was a huge, terrifying beast, unlike any she had seen when she had still been alive. The thing seemed as if it could swallow up the entire city. Not only that, she could faintly make out the silhouettes of dozens of smaller monsters beneath it, they roamed around the gargantuan beast, almost as if they were its underlings. Yes, Glutton knew this monster.

But it wasn’t from her memories. This was the unranked monster that had killed all of Cale’s teammates in the past. This wasn’t just a nightmare, it was one of Cale’s worst memories, and it was being replayed in his sleep with sickening clarity.

She ran.

She didn’t know if she would be able to reach him before he was forced to relive that same awful moment, but she couldn’t stop. Even if she didn’t make it in time, Cale had saved her. He’d saved all of them. Cale had done so much for them, who weren’t even real people; not even real souls. They were the left over wills of people long passed, and yet he still cared about them and treated them as people worth cherishing. They owed everything to him, and she would do anything to help him.

Breaking through the wreckage, she came face to face with something that would haunt her own memories for weeks to come. There was so much. So much blood, so many bodies; both monster and human, there was so so much death and destruction. She felt sick. Forcing herself to take a step forward, she was determined to reach him. She didn’t know if he would be able to see her, or even hear her, but she had to try. When she was running, she had found that she couldn’t interact with anything in the dream, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t reach him. They were connected, after all.

Her steps were unsteady. Even in this dream, this memory, her nonexistent body still felt every bit how terrible this situation was. She felt the urge to run get stronger with every step, but still she pressed onward.

Reaching out toward him, she called his name as loud as she could. She heard the roars of monsters, the shouts of the reinforcements that were too late; she saw in front of her the people he had held so dear to him, but none of that mattered to her. Not at the moment. What she came here to do, what she had to do for him, was to pull him out. He needed to wake up. She could feel her heart thrum with the wills of her friends. She couldn’t hear them, but she knew that they were backing her up, just like always.

“Cale!”

Crack.

Crack crack crackcrackcrackcra-

Her surroundings shattered like glass. The last thing she saw before it all went dark was the slow turn of Cale’s- Kim Rok Soo’s head towards her. She hadn’t seen his face, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She lost consciousness before she could, anyway.

……….

-utton…

-Gl-…

-Glutton!

-Gasp!

-She’s awake!

-Oh thank goodness…

-You really gave us a scare! The Crybaby nearly cried himself into a panic attack when you wouldn’t respond!

-Hic. Nooooonnnnaaaa! I-I thought that you were goooneee!

-We were worried that something happened to your consciousness.

-I….I’m fine. At least I think so? Wait- how’s Cale? Is he okay?!

“Ugh.. what…was..?”

-……

-…..Cale?

“Hm? Glutton? What is it? Is something the matter?”

-….

“Uh…Glutton? Super Rock, why is she acting so strange? Is everything okay?”

-Well…-

-Everything’s fine, Cale. Go to sleep. It’s late.

“Are you sure? Really, is there nothing bothering you? You’re acting weird.”

-Everyone is alright now. Go to sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.

“….”

“If you say so…”

-And Cale?

“Yeah?”

-Make sure you eat a hearty breakfast. Good food really is the best way to start the day. Eat lots and lots.

“Umm, okay.. I will.”

-Mhm. Goodnight Cale.

“Goodnight Glutton, everyone.”

Through the chorus of “goodnights” whispered by the ancient powers, Cale’s heart calmed down and he closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep and knowing that they would still very much be there when he wakes.

//////////////

So, I originally planned for a fluffy little one-shot before the big day, but it kinda got outta hand. As much as I frequently forget that they exist, I absolutely love Cale’s relationship with his ancient powers. They really are a part of his family; a bunch of siblings/uncle and aunt figures that watch over him(and assist him in creating chaos). I also wanted to explore the idea of them being able to kinda enter his consciousness when needed. Think of it like an au or something, since there’s no evidence to support that being in any way possible in canon. So yeah, it ended up a lot more angsty and all over the place than I originally planned, but I’m sticking with it.

Anyway……It’s almost here! Tomorrow is the day, and I plan to post the final piece for this countdown relatively early in comparison to how I normally post. I did not plan to post most of these this late every time, but I’ve got a job and a million other responsibilities so time kinda gets away from me. But hey, I’m so happy I’ve been able to post these every day.

Well, that’s all for now. See ya guys tomorrow!!

#I wanted to color code the aps but there were too many:/#oh well #you’ll just have to guess who’s who #lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #rraes lcf countdown2024 #kim rok soo #cale henituse #tcf ancient powers #drabble

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 30! So close!

Another part of the Daffodils and the Meaning of au! I know this au started centered around Choi Han, but I just have too many thoughts about Cale’s life.

Kim Rok Soo, Cale Henituse

Kim Rok Soo, no, Cale didn’t know what to make of his new family.

They were…nice? He supposed? He really didn’t know enough about them to make a solid judgement. At the very least, they seem to genuinely care for him, which is more than he could say for anyone else prior to his adoption. But then again, he thought his uncle had cared about him too. Of course, they looked pretty upset after being told about how his uncle had treated him, so he couple probably rule out the possibility of them beating him.

Small mercies.

He could tell they didn’t know how to act around him. That much is obvious in the way that Mister Hen-Father addressed him. Like he’s talking to a stranger. One with a very familiar face, who happened to look exactly like his dead wife. He couldn’t imagine how it felt. And he’s not quite sure how to act around the man who claimed to be his father either.

The other members of the family weren’t any less awkward, they might be even more so, actually. What do you even say to the long lost son of your father/husband who’s just up and waltzed into your life after years of established relationship?

On all accounts, he is a stranger in this house. He is the only one who doesn’t belong here.

Aside from that fact, he couldn’t say that the last few weeks have been unpleasant. After all, he had a warm bed, clean clothes, and more food than he could eat in a lifetime. In fact, if he were to spend the rest of his life a stranger to these people and only interact with others when addressed, he can’t say he would mind. Aside from the awkward pleasantries with the house’s occupants, the servants are very courteous and only bother him about his well being, an ideal way to live a peaceful life.

At least, that’s what he thought before he met his personal butler and chef.

First of all, he had frequently stated that he didn’t need any servants assigned to him, but the Henituse couple had insisted on at least two. Not wanting to upset them after he’d been treated so well, he had relented to their wishes. But he had almost wished he hadn’t. He’d almost had a heart attack after meeting who would serve him for the foreseeable future.

While the deputy butler who was primarily in charge of his meals and basic needs was a little awkward and quirky, he wasn’t all that bad to have around. No, he wasn’t bad at all. But the other two were where the real problem lied.

His personal butler, Ron was an utterly terrifying man. With a benign smile and all observing eyes, the old man made him feel like prey in front of a predator. He felt like if he made one wrong move, his throat might be slit in his sleep. The man’s son was no less scary.

Beacrox was to be his personal chef, and he was also terrifying. Cale was sure that his knives had been used for more than just cooking before. He was also a germaphobe, but that was the least of Cale’s worries.

Suffice to say, he’d almost keeled over right there and then. However, he couldn’t turn away the servants that his father had personally picked. And it was only made worse when he found out that they had previously been employed by the man’s late wife. His mother. Turning them away would be like insinuating that his mother didn’t know what she was doing hiring them. And he would never insult the dead, he may be a bad person, but he’s not that terrible.

So he was left no choice but to let them be. At least he got some good food out of it. Seriously, Beacrox’s cooking is heavenly. At this point, he wouldn’t mind being poisoned by the chef if it’s from food this good.

Scariness aside, the two didn’t treat him badly. In fact, they treated him like a king! Or how he would imagine a king to be treated. Was this how rich people always lived? He could see the appeal. Maybe he could learn to deal with having them as servants? Of course he can, he’s lived in worse conditions before anyways.

————-

Lately, Ron has noticed some interesting things regarding his new charge.

Young master Cale, who previously went by the name Kim Rok Soo, was quite a shy child. He didn’t talk much, and when he did, it was always in short sentences and said with the utmost respect, even to the servants. Ron began to wonder what this little puppy-like young master’s life was like prior to being taken in by the Henituse couple.

So he’d done some research. According to the staff, the young master was the lost child of the late Jour Henituse. Well, that much was obvious, but what wasn’t quite as obvious was the fact that the boy had apparently been taken in by a different couple and even received a new name altogether.

Kim Rok Soo was said to have lost his parents at the age of six, before staying in an orphanage, then later being taken in by a “relative.” According to various eyewitness reports and the child’s own testimony, that relative had abused him until the authorities were forced to step in and he was again placed in an orphanage.

Here’s the interesting part. Shortly before his being taken in by child services, the boy had been taken to a local hospital by an elderly couple, who took the liberty of paying for his bills and trying to locate any other living relatives. Well, the story goes that the boy’s “uncle” wasn’t related to him at all and in fact, the child hadn’t even been related to his so-called parents. Of course, the boy was ignorant of this fact until a mere few weeks ago when the authorities were finally able to narrow down who the child’s parents actually were. Imagine their surprise when the boy turned out to be the son of Deruth and Jour Henituse.

After they made contact, the Henituse’s wasted no time in bringing the boy home, much to “Kim Rok Soo’s” utter bewilderment. The poor boy must have faced quite the shock from the whole ordeal. He had gone through so much for a child of merely fourteen.

Ron had only met Rok Soo, or Cale, a few days prior. When he’d been offered the position of Cale’s personal butler, he had wasted no time in accepting. He and his son owed their lives to Lady Jour and thus, it was only right to be the ones to serve her only son. As someone who witnessed first hand how devastated she was by the loss of that same son, he felt it was his responsibility to do whatever he could for the boy now. His son Beacrox didn’t have any objections to the idea, even empathizing a bit with the situation, so they’d both made the arrangements and met with the young master shortly after.

Initially, young master Cale had been quite afraid of them, but he’d soon learned to hide it well enough. Well, for most people anyway. Though it was quite amusing to watch the puppy recoil at the lemonade he served, but drink it anyway, his reactions did strike a nerve with Ron. Disregarding the fact that Ron is who he is, the boy was unusually nervous around other people, especially adults. Well, it’s no wonder, with everything that Ron has heard. And he’s sure that the boy has experienced far more than what’s on paper.

Well, it has been too long since he’d done some reconnaissance of his own, he’s feeling a bit rusty. It might be time to repay all his debts in full.

Nonetheless, Ron will continue to serve and observe his new young master for as long as the child needs him. Who knew that he would find a new purpose in his old age? Ho! This boy will surely bring forth many more surprises in the near future.

#lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #rraes lcf countdown2024 #lcf aus #tcf aus #kim rok soo #cale henituse #ron molan

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 29!

Soos in TBoaH

-A rough timeline-

- After dying to the unranked monster, Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo find themselves in a forest in the middle of nowhere. They soon realize that, not only are they not in Korea anymore, but their bodies have apparently changed from what they remember. They appear to be a few years younger than when they died. Luckily, they still have their skills and weapons with them in this new world.

- Unluckily, this new world is also apparently overrun with monsters. Great.

- They can only hope that their dongsaeng is doing okay without them.

- Their dongsaeng is not okay without them.

- For the next decade or so, he leads the new Team One with a death count of zero, solidifying his reputation as the number one team leader in the company.

- Until one lazy afternoon on his day off changes everything.

- He had just finished volume five of The Birth of a Hero, when the alarm sounds and swarms of monsters start attacking civilians.

- He can’t leave his team to fight alone, so he cuts his only day off short to assist.

- But he hadn’t expected it to end this way. Sure, it’s all part of the job, he does fight monsters for a living, he just didn’t expect that he’d go out like this; pierced through the heart by a monster with unmatched speed. Well, almost unmatched. He was luckily able to use instant in time to save his teammate. That teammate has a family waiting for him, it’s Kim Rok Soo’s responsibility as his leader to make sure he returns home. Besides, it’s not like there are many to miss him. Sure, his colleagues would mourn him for a bit, but Kim Min Ah will make a fine Team Leader. They’ll be ok.

- Closing his eyes amidst the sound of his teammates crying, he finally allows himself to rest. Maybe in the next life he’ll finally be able to be a slacker.

The rest of this will be Kim Rok Soo’s journey. I’ll do Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk in a different post.

- The boy wakes up in a forest. It’s cold and dark and he doesn’t know where he is. Or who he is, for that matter. It’s as if there’s a fog covering his mind, and when he tries to remember anything, all he gets is a sharp pain in his head and some wooziness. No thank you, he’ll do without.

- After some walking, he decides to take a small rest before BOOM, a wild Radish appears!

- Radish takes one look at the child and instantly sees a new accomplice/underling/successor. Also, this kid looks almost exactly like him, he would be an idiot to let him escape.

- So the boy, in the absence of any other options, trails along after the mask wearing redhead until they reach a secret Arm base, where the boy is given a room and questioned on his sudden appearance.

- After a brief convo in which he learns that the redhead’s name is Barrow, he reveals that he doesn’t have any memories. WS offers to name him, to which the boy answers that he’ll think about it.

- (Here’s the thing. I’m debating over whether to let him get a new name from Barrow before learning of his own name, or to remain nameless before he eventually remembers. So for now, we’ll say that Rok Soo is also debating whether or not to let this random stranger give him a name or think of one himself.)

- As time goes on and Barrow comes and goes, the boy starts picking up random bits of info about this world. Sometimes words of places just come to him, while other bits of knowledge are revealed in a dream or vision. All of this accumulates up until Barrow decides to take him to the Henituse territory.

- Barrow gives the boy some money, along with instructions to buy himself some new clothes and books (if the kid’s gonna work with him, he might as well have some sort of knowledge about the world. And besides, the boy is obviously suspicious of him, so there’s no need for him to know about Arm or the Ws’s goal just yet).

- Krs does buy himself some clothes and books, but he also finds that he has tons more money from Barrow, so why not spend some on a way to protect himself? That’s right, he picks up the shield. While he’s not entirely sure how he knows about this weird power, (or if it’s even real) he has nothing better to do while waiting for Barrow to return from his “errand.”

- After picking up a shield, he also picks up some kittens. Since he doesn’t know about the cat tribe, he also doesn’t know that On and Hong are not ordinary kittens. They follow him around the rest of the day after he gets the shield and he finds them cute, so he decides to take them with him.

- Of course, Barrow immediately recognizes them as Cat Tribe children, but they don’t recognize him. As he is in disguise and they had never actually seen a member of Arm in person before then, they don’t know about the WS or what he looks like. Of course, they are still very scared of this guy who is apparently taking care of their new companion, but they can tell that the boy is completely innocent at least, so they go with him anyway. They are still very cautious around this red haired human-but-not-human, but figure that their boy will not let them get hurt, so they’ll just observe for now.

- Barrow decides not to say anything about them being from the Cat Tribe, letting them get more familiar with the kid first. Which krs does. He figures it out a few days after taking them in. Which works perfectly for him, since he does have a dragon to free in the near future.

- The only problem is how to smuggle a dragon out of the cave without Barrow noticing. While he could ask the man for help, his gut tells him that would be a bad idea, and he’s inclined to trust it. Besides, for whatever reason, this Barrow guy just gives him a bad feeling.

- His chance comes a few days later. Barrow has some business in another region(read: Endable), so he won’t be back for a month or so. That leaves him some time to procure all the needed supplies and equipment to save the dragon and be back, having erased any evidence, before the man returns.

- Luckily, Barrow leaves him in a nearby city, which just so happens to be Puzzle City, another place he’d seen in his dreams housing one of these “ancient powers” that Barrow had told him about.

- Speaking of, when Barrow had returned from Harris Village to Rain City, he was able to immediately tell that Krs had acquired an ancient power. How he could tell, the boy didn’t know, but he is determined to be extra cautious when collecting them from now on.

- WS actually thinks it’s a good thing for krs to be collecting ancient powers. Actually, him finding one on his own just proves even more that he should carry on Barrow’s legacy. In fact, he’s even keeping an eye out for some more for the boy. It’ll take some time, and he will have to be careful so the kid won’t explode, but he’s working on it. That’s one of the reasons WS frequently leaves him for a while.

- Meanwhile, Krs somehow manages to procure the mana disturbance tool and the cutters for the mission (whether through Billos like in the novel or through some other means), and finally sets out for the Tolz territory with several scrolls, potions, and means of quick escapes (one can never be too careful).

- He figures that once he saves the dragon, it’ll go off and do its own thing, so their should be no problem trying to hide it from Barrow after getting rid of the rest of the evidence.

- The dragon follows them. And now he has to figure out how to hide it from the man. He’s got roughly a week. Great…..

- Something tells him that even with invisibility, Barrow would still somehow be able to detect the dragon’s presence. Call it his intuition, which keeps being more and more reliable when it comes to the man.

- He manages to convince the dragon to stay in the cave where he got the Vitality of the Heart. It’s a bit of a hassle, but he promises to come visit when Barrow leaves again or if they have to move.

- He mostly stays away from the main plot, giving Cage and Taylor their new hope while in Puzzle City and saving the dragon will pretty much be the only way he interacts with it for a while. Though with the other Soo’s traveling with Choi Han, they manage to bring some much needed wisdom and stability that the heroes were lacking in the original timeline, “filling in” a lot of plot holes that krs’s absence leaves.

- As krs is absent during the plaza terror incident, Raon is also not there to help diffuse the mana bombs and there is no mana disturbance to interrupt them. He also hasn’t remembered a whole lot of the plot by that time, so he has no knowledge of it.

- So while the heroes travel around solving problems and saving people, Krs is busy collecting the Sound of the Wind, saving and ditching a whale, meeting a barbarian, and somehow getting acquainted with another redhead.

- Throughout the next few months or so, he gets brought to other Arm bases and meets Hannah and the Magic Spearman, training with them some time before they leave to fight the Whales. During all this, he doesn’t actually make a connection between them and the “secret organization.” He’d never actually seen them in uniform before, and even if he had, he’d never remembered.

- Until an offhanded comment by Raon sparks an impromptu vision. It was a vision of a single paragraph in some sort of book. He doesn’t know what it means, but what he does know is that he needs to stay away from whatever this “secret organization” is.

- Easier said than done. Apparently Barrow is apart of this very secret organization. How does he know this? When he saw the Magic Spearman after the fight with the Whales, the man was wearing the very same outfit. Luckily, Raon wasn’t there. That’s a can of worms that he can’t afford to open right now. Not while he’s in the middle of a terrorist organization. Why is this his life? Just what did he do in his past life to deserve this sort of situation?!

- Now he’s gotta tiptoe around Barrow and the rest of the base’s inhabitants. There mostly seems to be low level grunts in their newest “temporary home,” but who’s to say that he won’t eventually meet someone at the level of the Spearman again? Or even more powerful? He already has suspicions about this “Barrow” being some sort of authority figure, given how everyone refers to him as “liege.” Don’t tell him this guy is the leader….

- Really, what did he get himself into?

///////////

And that’s about how I imagine events going from the beginning through the sea battle. I’ve definitely got more things planned, but I’ll have to go through the novel again to see which events happen when, and which events from tboah happen or don’t, based on krs’s presence.

#lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #rraes lcf countdown2024 #lcf aus #tcf aus #kim rok soo #cale barrow #lee soo hyuk #choi jung soo #posted before 9!#(just barely)#fyi #no ships in this au #purely platonic relationships in all my aus #except stated otherwise

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 28! Just a few more days…

This was actually not what I had planned to post today, but I thought ‘why not?.’

I absolutely love Witiria’s manhwa design and I thought it would be fun to try to replicate her water-like hair in my drawing. I also thought it would look cool to kinda make it look like she’s underwater herself. (Version without water under the cut.)

#my art #lcf #fanart #lout of count’s family #trash of the count's family #tcf #tcf witira #rraes lcf countdown2024

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 27!

Five Times Calyan Fell Alseep on His Family and One Time He…

4. Eruhaben

Calyan took a moment to breathe in the almost frigid night air. Who knew late winter could be so cold? He’d gotten too used to the small bit of insulation in the cave where the Super Rock Villa resides, and almost forgotten that there was still snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures on the surface.

That and the Henituse territory has always gotten pretty cold in the winter.

It’s been awhile since he’d stayed at his “first” house. Lately, he’s taken to staying in the Villa or the black castle. And while the castle is definitely above ground, Lord Sherrit has a particular way of regulating temperature so that the cold air of the Forest of Darkness stays mostly outside.

Well, maybe it’s his fault for coming out to the balcony so late at night. Watching as his breath creates little white puffs of stream in the night air, he can’t help but think of the beings currently occupying his bedroom.

The children are sprawled across his large bed, tangled in the plush comforter with a mountain of pillows to cuddle (along with each other); his brother, Cale, at some point during Calyan’s nap, had fallen asleep on the sofa, and Choi Han, as always, had stayed near the door, ready to fend off any potential intruders. Even Alberu, who had been occupied with the aftermath of the last battle of Puzzle City, now sleeps in Calyan’s own room, slouched over a pile of paperwork at a desk he’d gotten from who knows where. He’d also seen traces of magic device blueprints and some ashes on a table in Raon’s experiment corner, no doubt Eruhaben and Rosalyn are around here somewhere; most likely off in their own guest quarters.

His family is here with him. Both the Henituse’s and his new family members are all within arms reach, not going anywhere.

They are safe, but he is not satisfied.

He really is so selfish.

Why now, of all times, does he suddenly feel like something is very wrong? After the years he and everyone else spent to attain this victory, why now does nothing feel right?

He’s spent the last twenty years as Calyan Henituse, a young master of the prosperous Henituse Duchy, but right now, he feels nothing but disdain for his identity. He feels like he doesn’t belong here. He thought he’d long since accepted this new person he’d become, but recently, he can’t even look in the mirror without feeling an overwhelming sense of disgust. What a time to develop imposter syndrome.

What is wrong with him?

“Child? What are you doing out here at this hour?”

Eek! He almost gasped out loud.

He hadn’t heard the doors open, though he made sure to close them softly as he came outside in order to not let in any of the cold air. Of course, the ancient dragon could have teleported out here, but how did he know that Calyan was on the balcony in the first place? And why was Eruhaben still up?

“I didn’t expect you to still be up, Eruhaben-nim.” He spoke softly, still mindful of the sensitive hearing of those inside.

The dragon sighed, “Unlucky human, I asked you why you were up so late. Weren’t you the one who claimed that you would do nothing but roll around on your bed for the foreseeable future?”

Eruhaben walked over to the railing, placing one hand on the cooled marble that made up the entire balcony. Calyan couldn’t say anything to that. He had told them something of the sort, and he’d planned to do just that, but he didn’t foresee this anxious feeling and the intrusive thoughts that came with it. So he just said whatever sounded good enough to placate the ancient dragon.

“I just couldn’t fall asleep.” He looked out over the Henituse castle. It wasn’t exactly a lie, he just left out the fact of why he couldn’t fall back asleep. “It’s fine though. I’ve slept pretty much the entire day, I can last a few hours without.” Well, that and, thanks to The Vitality of the Heart, he didn’t exactly need that much sleep to feel energized.

Eruhaben observed him, not entirely satisfied with that answer, but he must have decided it wasn’t an issue since he didn’t pry. What a relief. Calyan wasn’t sure how to even begin explaining how he was feeling, let alone why. The mental strain of trying to come to terms with who he had been for seventeen years and then thirty-six, before finally figuring it out at twenty; and then having an identity crisis at almost twenty-one would be a bit too much to process, even for a great and mighty dragon.

So yeah, he decided to stick with ‘can’t sleep’ as his go to excuse.

The elder looked out at the rest of the castle as well, not saying anything. Although Calyan had come out here to avoid everyone, the ancient dragon’s presence brought a strange sort of calmness to him. Huh, maybe living for over a thousand years does that to someone? Then again, a dragon’s presence; what should be intimidating to him, usually doesn’t affect him thanks to the Dominating Aura, so maybe he’s not the best judge of what should or shouldn’t be comforting. But that’s something he’ll think about much later. For now, all he does is stand next to the dragon as they watch the knights patrol along the castle walls.

Minutes pass gradually, and his eyes start to become heavy. Amidst the voices of his ancient powers, who had been silent until now, urging him to rest, he listens to the wind blowing softly through the trees. It’s nice, to just exist in the moment. How long has it been since he just existed outside of the never ending battles and his records constantly tethering him to the past? He doesn’t care to recall.

He stays out there for a few minutes longer, savoring the last bits of peace he would have before his thoughts threatened to consume him when he eventually has to go back inside. Just a few more minutes.

Eventually, he doesn’t know when, but Eruhaben had guided them both to sit on a nearby bench at some point. That’s fine. He doesn’t know how long he could continue standing like that. And this way, he can lean on the ancient dragon for warmth. Surely, he won’t mind just this once? It is getting rather cold out here.

He lets his eyes close and imagines himself being able to sleep as much as he wants for the rest of his days alongside his family and friends. With more moments like these.

He wouldn’t even mind not sleeping if it meant that he would get to spend more time with them. That is what they all fought for, isn’t it?

He feels a shift under his head.

“Hah. Such an unlucky human.” He stirs as he hears an almost indistinguishable voice speak. “Let’s get you to bed. The children will throw a fit if you catch a cold from something like this. You’ve had enough air for tonight.” But it hasn’t been that long? Wait, how long were they sitting there? Had he fallen asleep? Groggily, he opens his eyes, gearing up to make the short yet long trek back to his bed.

But before he can, he suddenly finds himself in the young looking dragon’s arms. How he got there, he hasn’t a clue.

He stutters, not sure how to react at the sudden action. “E-Eruhaben-nim? I can walk -“

“Nonsense. You would have spent the rest of the night outside in the cold.” Sigh “Just go to sleep, child. You clearly need it.”

He can’t refute that. Despite the fact that he slept nearly the entire day, he feels as if he could fall asleep standing up at this point. So despite his pride screaming at him to be put down, his exhaustion wins and he allows his eyes to close, content to let the ancient dragon do all the work.

He hears one last sentence as he finally succumbs to sleep, warm and comfortable in his bed.

“My unlucky child, just rest. It is okay to lean on us.”

With a light brush of a hand upon his head, the ancient dragon leaves the room. Calyan sleeps and dreams of the present, where they are all happy and alive. At least for now, he casts aside the fear and restlessness plaguing him. It can wait. He has more than enough time to figure things out.

#lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf aus #tcf aus #kim rok soo #eruhaben #5 + 1 fic #part 4 #drabble

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 26! More of the au from no. 23!

Arden Henituse

When Arden was born, Cale was about five seconds away from striking down the nearest living being. He could care less whether they were friend or foe. Cale would shove his sword at whoever caused him to miss even a second of his child’s birth.

It had been a hard battle, corpses numbering in the hundreds, with enemies swarming the battlefield. It wasn’t anything new for him. After eight years fighting the indomitable alliance, he’d seen more death and bloodshed than most commanders in his era had even imagined, and he’d lived through them. Just barely, but he’d made it.

And he wasn’t about to let this fight be his last. He had a child to meet, and a wife who would kill him if he missed that child’s birth. So between bloodthirsty bears and an angry Amiru, Cale would gladly charge headfirst at the bears.

Slice. Stab. Thrust. Dodge. Repeat.

Eric and Gilbert were doing their best to clear the way for him, but the enemies just would not stop coming. He didn’t have time for this!

It was nonstop running and striking down as many as he could for the next several minutes, before all at once, he found himself surrounded by Paerun soldiers. Normally, these weaklings wouldn’t have fazed him, but as previously stated, he was running out of time. It would take him precious more minutes to fight his way out of the army, and he had no allies within range.

Or so he thought.

In almost not time, the enemies dropped like flies, one after the other. It took him few seconds to realize what had happened before he was suddenly standing in front of someone whom he had not seen in at least six years.

“I do hope I’m not too late, young master. It would be quite the shame for you to miss such an important occasion.” There stood a benignly smiling old man; perfect posture, with arms crossed behind his back as if he hadn’t just cut down several dozen enemies in the span of a minute. Wait- how did he do that exactly? Sure, he’s fast and stealthy, but he’s also just one person with no powers-oh wait, there’s Beacrox. Cale almost didn’t recognize him. The broadsword user looked completely different from the Beacrox in Cale’s memories. He was all hardened eyes and rugged edges. Both of them looked vastly different than how Cale had last seen them, and yet, there was this glimmer of something unexplainable in both their eyes.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d think they were actually happy to see him.

He scoffed. “How many times do I have to tell you, old man? It’s Cale. Just Cale.” He scowled without any real heat. Sure, their relationship wasn’t always the best, but Cale still held some respect for Ron, and by proxy, Beacrox.

The man stood next to his father amongst the corpses of enemies, looking completely at ease. His eyes met Cale’s and he finally spoke what must have been the first words to him since before they left his estate ten years prior.

“Go. We’ll deal with things here.”

Right. They didn’t have any time for formalities or reminiscing. He had somewhere to be urgently.

“Oh, and young master, no, Cale,” He met Ron’s eyes as they turned into crescents and sparkled mischievously. “Hold still.”

…..huh?

He was left no time to think about that ominous sentence as he felt air rapidly swirl around him.

Huh??????!

Red. So much red. Red like his hair like his mother’s like-

Rosalyn. The mage.

“Fancy meeting you here, Count.” Air whooshed around him as he soared through the air surrounded by red mana. Turning his head to the right, he saw someone who he had never expected to personally meet. As a foot soldier, he was almost never in the same area as the “heroes,” aka, the vanguard. He and the others were always away from the direct confrontations with the enemy, so why was she here?

She must have seen the question on his expression, as she soon answered. “When Ron mentioned having an urgent appointment to attend, I never thought it was the birth of your child. He must care for you greatly, Cale.” She had addressed him by his name that time, he noted. “So it was the least I could do as his friend to help you make it to your destination on time.”

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He was utterly shocked by the strange turn of events. Ron, of all people, would come to his aid in this time? And he’d even brought his allies to assist Cale? There was a tight feeling in his chest. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

Fortunately, he couldn’t dwell on it, as enemies had spotted them almost immediately after the mage had finished her explanation.

Swords and spells flew through the air as he helplessly flailed around like a fish on a hook.

“Woah! Hold on, Count! This might be a little tricky!”

Ugh. He seriously might hurl from all this dodging and looping she was making him do. Remind him to never get on her bad side.

“Hold on tight!” Straightening him out, she started channeling mana into her hands, each second manifesting more and more until her arms were covered and the enemies were forced to keep a distance.

“Oh, and Count?” She smiled gently toward him and he suddenly got another ominous feeling. Uh oh. “Try not to throw up.”

That was the only warning he got as he was suddenly shoved through the air.

“WaiiiaaAAAAHHHHHGH!”

Red covered his vision as images rushed past him. He couldn’t distinguish up from down and could only try his best to keep his meager breakfast from covering his entire front side. Seriously, was this how she traveled all the time?! No thank you!

Too soon, or not soon enough, he started to see some sort of black thing coming toward him. Wait. No. It was actually rushing toward him at inhuman speeds what is that-!?

“Oof! Ughh..”

“Huh. I thought you’d be harder to catch.”

Oh, absolutely not.

Black eyes peered up at him from beneath even blacker bangs. Even after all this time, that man still looked the part of an innocent youth, albeit a tired and battle weary one. But Cale knew how much of a monster this man was.

“Choi Han.”

“Cale Henituse.”

No more words were exchanged as the monsterman started sprinting through the army of bears and mages. From his vantage point (really, couldn’t he carry him in a more comfortable position? Being carted around like a sack of flour was absolutely not helping his nausea in the slightest.), he could see the army’s bewilderment. Hah! He would laugh at their baffled expressions if he weren’t so humiliated and trying not to vomit.

What felt like a few seconds passed and he suddenly found himself a small distance away from a Roan coalition outpost and was then set on the ground. A little wobbly, he glared at the Swordmaster, to which he only got a cold shoulder as the man just turned around and sped back into the fray. Just like that. As if he hadn’t just carried a full grown man hundreds of kilometers in mere minutes. Crazy.

The Cro- The King met him a few paces away from a small tent in the center of the camp.

“Your Majesty.”

“Count Henituse. You’re just in time.”

He’d never been so happy to hear those words. He had a hard time getting there, but he had made it, just like he promised.

Alberu Crossman smiled at him as he led them both to the tent where healers and priests ran in and out every few seconds. Now that he was actually here, he couldn’t help the nervous shaking in his hands. What if something goes wrong? What if the child doesn’t make it? What if she doesn’t make it? Anxious thoughts consumed him as his breathing started to speed up.

“Hey, hey, Cale. Breathe.” A hand on his shoulder grounded him. He had never known the Crown Prince, now King, all that well. Apart from the few times they met at official events before the kingdom turned over, they had only crossed paths a few times for strategy meetings and the like. He had certainly not seen this side of the King. The side who could be a grounding presence and confidant when you needed it the most. Huh. Today really is full of surprises.

He stopped just outside of the tent. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself. It would not do to be out of his wits about this. That’s not what she needs right now. He had to be a sturdy presence by her side. She was the one doing all the hard work, after all. Heh. She’d whack him across the head if she saw him now.

Well, no time to waste.

His ears were bombarded with the sound of healers shouting orders and the painful groans of injured soldiers, but he paid them no mind, eyes set on the figure barely visible through the crowd of people around her bedside. That unmistakable green, like a forest. Oh. Oh wow. This is really happening.

He didn’t know where Alberu left to. He didn’t care. His entire focus was on her.

“Amiru!”

Her teal colored eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, he saw genuine relief.

And then came the anger.

“CALE HENITUSE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

He couldn’t answer her then. She probably hadn’t even wanted an answer. All he could do was hold tightly to her hand as she yelled; both at him for his tardiness, and at the healers and priests who clearly had no idea what they were doing. Had any one of them actually delivered a baby before? Who knows. They weren’t exactly in a situation to be picky. They were in the middle of a war.

After hours, or what could have been days for him; during which he refused to leave her side even when he was urged to leave, he finally held a small bundle in his arms. A living, breathing baby. His baby. His child.

His son.

“So what are you going to name him?” He looked up at her. Tired turquoise eyes met his and held nothing but pure, unwavering love.

“Why are you asking me?”

She only giggled softly, fully aware of how his heart always fluttered whenever graced with the sound. “Well, he doesn’t have your red hair.” Of course not. Why would he? It’s not like Cale was slightly disappointed at the fact or anything. But what does that have to do with his name?

“He has my last name.” He replied.

“But he has my nose.” She countered.

“And my lips.”

“And I made him.”

“We made him. Together.” He firmly responded.

“Just name him, Cale.” She sighed in fond exasperation. “I know you’ve been thinking of one for months now.” His cheeks gained a light dusting of pink and he could do nothing but turn his head away as, if he were to look at her, he’d surely see her smug, all knowing eyes looking right at him.

Well, it’s not like she was wrong, he just hadn’t noticed that she’d noticed all the time he’d spent thinking of different names for their child. Their child. The thought still brought such a foreign warmth to his chest. He’d noticed, though, that it wasn’t a bad feeling. Not bad at all. He could get used to this.

“Arden.”

“Arden? Hmmm” Putting a finger to her lips, she made a show of thinking deeply about the name. “Hm. Arden Henituse, you say?” Her contemplative gaze cracked, and she allowed a warm smile to grace her tired face. She was beautiful.

“What does it mean?”

…

“Cale?”

…

“Cale, what does it mean?”

His cheeks flushed and he realized that he wasn’t quite sure that she’d like the name if she knew what it meant.

“…..Green forest.”

“……”

Was it too on the nose?

To be fair, he hadn’t known that his child would have green hair. It was a very ironic coincidence.

But to his surprise, she didn’t demand to choose a new name herself.

“Pfftt. Hahaha! That’s just like you!” His face was nearly as red as his hair by the time she’d settled down, and he would have suggested a new name if he didn’t still have some of his pride.

And really, he couldn’t think of a better name when he looked down at the baby in his arms. His son, Arden. Arden Henituse. It was a rather nice name. If a bit straight forward. But you know? This world could use some green. Growing green even in the harsh winter; that’s what Cale wanted for his son. And for his son, Cale would give the world. Cale will protect him with all he has and more.

Arden Henituse was born on the 8th day of the 11th month of the 791st year of the Felix Calendar.

#lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf aus #tcf aus #kim rok soo #og cale henituse #amiru ubarr #rraes lcf countdown2024 #drabble

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 25! My fav trio! I really want to do more content for them. I especially love the concept of a modern/school au where they actually get to be teenagers together.:’) Yeah, the background’s pretty bad and stuff, but oh well.

Just them chatting and waiting for Cale to wake up cuz he fell asleep in class and they didn’t have the heart to wake him. They’ve been there for hours. Eventually Eruhaben kicks them out.

But guys! One week left!!!

#my art #lcf #also #this is not a ship #please do not tag it as such #it is platonic #lout of count’s family #rraes lcf countdown2024 #tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf aus #tcf aus #modern au #alberu crossman #choi han #cale henituse #decided to go for a much simpler style than I usually do and the proportions are kinda wonky but whatever #it’s fine #fanart

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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So I was trying to think of someone who’s not Cale but still fun to draw and thought ‘why not Rosalyn?’ Seriously, her hair is super fun to draw, but it took forever. And yeah, I lost track of time drawing and the rest is history!

Number 24! Some fanart of Rosalyn!

#my art #lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #fanart #rraes lcf countdown2024 #tcf rosalyn

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amarylliasky · 4 months ago

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Number 23 is a short au/snippet today because I was literally working the entire day.

Au: Kim Rok Soo was Cale Henituse’s son. (Partially inspired by the very few fanfics where this concept is utilized).

[ “Papa…can I see the picture again..?

“Of course.”

“Who’s that, papa?”

“That’s Eric Wheelsman. He was papa’s best friend.”

“He looks like a coward.”

“Haha, well, he was always the anxious type, but that never stopped him from standing up for his friends. There was no one whose heart was as big as his. He was also my…hyung.”

“…”

“What about him, papa?”

“Oh, that’s Gilbert Chetter. He didn’t talk much. His face was so stoic, you’d think it was a rock. Kinda like you.” “Ow!”

“Not funny.”

“Ok, ok. He didn’t really show emotions much, but he still found ways to take care of us.. He was always making sure we’d eaten our meals, and checked on us every night just to make sure we weren’t overworking ourselves.”

“Sounds like he had it rough..”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“…”

“And who’s she?”

“That’s��. Your mother.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Yeah..”

“What’s her name?”

“Amiru… Amiru Ubarr… She was a lot like you. Reserved, but kind. She beat sense into me when I would do something stupid. She was calm and patient most of the time, but fiery when she wanted to be. She was smarter than even the King himself..She was amazing..”

“Papa….Do you think in my next life, I could meet mama…?”

Cale looked down at his son’s face. Even covered in injuries and poison, he didn’t cry. His green hair almost seemed brown from the blood sluggishly seeping from a head wound. Tired but sharp reddish brown eyes, like that of his father, but his gentle smile is all hers. Just like hers, when he held her as she breathed her last. Still so innocent and beautiful. Too beautiful for this doomed world.

Cale knew it wouldn’t be long now. He should’ve seen it coming, everyone always leaves him in the end, but just this once….he’d hoped he could selfishly hold on to the only light he had left in this life. But fate deemed him unworthy of this beautiful gift.

“Of course you will. Hey, when you meet her, tell her I’m right behind you. Got it?”

“I’ll tell her you’ll take your t-time. You have to-to live. And eat…lots of delicious food.. p-papa…living is..the..best….”

“…”

“…Arden..?”

“…A-Arden?”

“Arden!”

And with that, Cale Henituse, at 36 years old, lost his only remaining family. His son, at the age of 8, was killed in an attack led by the ones they thought were their allies.]

////////

Randomly had this thought a month or so back. We never see the Northeastern trio! And we never ship Amiru with Cale! Not me wanting to give depth to extras.. Also, why not ship Cale with Amiru? It could be cute..And I want a personality for Gilbert!!

#lcf #lout of count’s family #tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf aus #tcf aus #kim rok soo #og cale henituse #rraes lcf countdown2024 #snippet

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